Can Image textures be mapped to empty object like procederual textures?
Yes

Build a setup where the image is mapped with Object coordinates and poin to the Empty object.

What you are probably missing is that, while a procedural texture has usually variable colors in the 3D space, an image has only 2D informations, so the texture is projected onto the XY plane of the Empty. The Z values are all the same, it's the same texture thet is being reproduced, that's why you see those streaks.



By rotating the empty you can project the texture on other sides of susanne, but along the Z axis of the empty you will never get a texture variance without adding something (noise texture, ...)